


Glitter, Glue and ornaments too

by Echo_star



Series: 12 days of X-mas oneshots; Underground Edition [9]
Category: The Gifted (TV 2017)
Genre: Christmas Tree, F/M, Glitter
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-12-19
Updated: 2017-12-19
Packaged: 2019-02-17 06:30:28
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,695
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13071081
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Echo_star/pseuds/Echo_star
Summary: When John agrees to watch Aurora, he’s unaware of just how messy decoration makinging truly is





	Glitter, Glue and ornaments too

John was transfixed watching her laugh at something Marcos said, it was breath taking the way her eyes crinkled slightly as a smile lit up her face. He couldn’t stop his own lips from twitching in response. There were so many things he should be doing, Christmas in the underground was always hectic. Between trying to create a sense of normality for the children, dealing with the drop in temperature and the never ending threats he had plenty of jobs to complete. However watching the children decorate the place, seeing the bleak outlook replaced by a sense of festive spirit was enlightening. The fact that he was sorely missing the Christmas spirit was irrelevant. 

 He was on his way to the study when he stopped and turned as he heard Lorna call him, carrying Aurora in her arms. The not so little baby gurgled, reaching for him. He smiled, easily supporting her as Lorna gratefully handed her over.   
“Thank god, I need a break” she huffed, examining the stain on her jumper. “Could you watch Aurora while I clean up and de-stress?” 

John shifted Aurora, pulling back from the little hands which were reaching for his hair. “Of course. Take as much time as you need. We will start planning a supply run." He commented gently rocking Aurora as she kicked her legs. 

Lorna smirked “Thanks, and good luck with that. She doesn’t like staying still.” 

John chuckled. “Maybe we will go check out the Christmas tree instead.” 

“Okay." Lorna nodded. "I won’t be long." She replied before rushing off.   
John watched Lorna leave before returning his attention to the little girl in his arms. 

"C'mon Rory, lets go see how the Christmas decorating is going.” Lorna despised the nickname, often complaining she hadn’t had a boy specifically to avoid the name, but it had caught on fast with the younger kids until it was the norm. It was common knowledge to avoid using it when Lorna was around. 

The underground was on its way to being decked out for Christmas. An assortment of decorations both scavenged and created were being put up. 

Taking Aurora, he sat beside the tree Marcos had found, handing her a soft gingerbread ornament. It was one of the decorations Caitlin had taught the children to make. 

Aurora gurgled as she waved it around, her hands flailing for anything within reach. One of her hands successfully latched onto the tree, John juggled her, gently trying to detach her hand.   
"Aurora," he chided gently, "your going to bring the whole tree down.” 

The girls got grip, and he has to be so gentle, her bones were fragile. Well everything was fragile to John and just as the tree starts to list, he senses someone appearing at his side, distracting Aurora and she lets go of the tree, instead reaching for a new object. 

“I figured you could use some help” Clarice murmurs from beside him, a piece of tinsel in her hand which has enamored the infant. 

“Thanks, she has Lorna’s stubbornness” he commented wryly as he turned to face her. Clarice hands Aurora the tinsel, the shiny object now the child's entire focus. 

"I can see that. She's also as finicky as her mother. Hopefully she develops her father's temperament." 

Their idle chatter is interrupted as Aurora started gurgling and kicking her feet. Caitlin walks by with some of the teenagers and younger children heading towards the crafts table that’s set up to create decorations and ornaments. Some of the younger children were singing Christmas carols whilst the teens talked amongst themselves. 

The noise settles slightly as the group gets into their crafts, though Auroras happiness shifts, frustration settling on the small girls face as her eyes crinkle. Clarice looks at the child warily, attempting to settle her with tinsel again. It fails. 

“Maybe we should see how the decoration making is going?” She sing-songed, trying to use a overly cheerful voice to calm Aurora. 

John huffs our a sigh, shaking his head at how this little monster wraps everyone around her little hand. “She’s definitely her mother’s daughter." He mumbles before standing and walking to the table with Clarice.  

They sit at one end of the table, some of the older teens around them threading strings of popcorn for the tree, whilst the younger kids decorate some old light bulbs with markers, paint, glitter and glue.

Being closer to the action works for a moment. Though Aurora’s frustration rises further as she tries to grab anything within reach, letting out a shrill cry as she becomes more agitated upon failing.

“Here you go Rory." One of the teenagers says offering the small girl a piece of popcorn. 

Her ire forgotten, she gurgles happily as she plays with the popcorn.  

Clarice grins at the teenager. "Thank you, you stopped Chernobyl." She turns to playfully glare at John. "Where were you?” She teases. 

“She’s a little monster.” He defends, shaking his head ruefully. 

They settle in at the table, Clarice helping one of the teens next to her with their string of popcorn. John sits back, taking in the festivities. His productive day has gone up in smoke, but he can’t say he minds too much. 

Feeling a gentle tug on his shirt, John turns, to find a small boy clutching a craft project. 

“Excuse me, can you help me?” His face is tilted down, but John can make out the faint marks decorating his face. It reminds him of someone else he knows, and he suppresses the seed of anger that blossoms in his chest for the mutants who feel they need to hide, especially here. 

“Of course” he scoots closer to Clarice, gestures for the boy to sit by him. Clarice turns to look at him for a second, having noticed him encroaching upon her personal space, when she sees the child climb into John's previous spot she turns back to her popcorn string. 

The boy places a small pile of green and brown popsicle sticks on the table the start of, what looks to be, a tree, though John checks with the boy to be sure. 

He makes sure Auroras still content before helping the child create his ornament. His entire focus is on helping the little boy create the tree, adding some glitter for tinsel, in those moments he completely forgets Aurora. 

It’s not until he hears a soft cry of alarm that he realizes his charge has been silent; too silent. 

There’s no time to stop it, John can only watch in horror as the uncovered tub of glue spills onto his, and Auroras, lap the baby kicking her feet happily in the mess. 

As they get covered in glue, John pushes their chair back, trying to prevent any more catastrophes. 

"Watch out!" Clarice gasps as Aurora's feet kick out sending the glue flying ever which way, landing on everyone in the immediate vicinity. 

Aurora grabs for the table noticing the distance increasing. She catches a bottle of glitter and throws the container back, showering them.

Dumbfounded at how such a small child could create such mess, it takes him a second before Aurora releases an earsplitting shriek, John winces, his acute senses overloaded.  The wailing infant latches on to him, smearing the glitterglue concoction against his skin. 

Everyone’s silent, then the teenagers, the children and finally Clarice burst out in laughter. 

John looks on unamused as Clarice tries to speak through her tears. “You-" she gasps "should have seen" Clarice cackles, "your face. It looks-"  she barely managed to choke out, "like you swam-" she huffs "in glitter.” 

Lorna burst in to the room followed by Marcos, the screech of their daughter having reverberated through the HQ. 

They take in the situation, Lorna’s eyes narrowing as she catches sight of John and Aurora.   
"What happened here?” She asks, glaring at John. 

John tries to shrug innocently, the effect ruined by the cloud of glitter that flies off him as he shifts. The shower of glitter has Clarice in hysterics.  

"Rory wanted to join in the Christmas arts too.” The little boy John had previously been helping with the tree ornament pipes up.

John withholds his groan, seeing Marcos gesturing wildly before turning away to cough into his fist as Lorna whirls on him. 

“Rory?” She whispers deceptively calm, glaring daggers at Marcos. 

“Babe, the younger kids have a hard time with her name. I swear I didn’t suggest it." He defends raising his arms in surrender. 

“I’ll deal with you later." She bites out before walking to John, giving the boy a smile so he wouldnt think she was mad at him. She reaches gingerly for Aurora, smiling gently as the baby gurgles at her before promptly taking her from the room. 

“I think the glitters meant to go on the decorations, or were you trying for the unicorn look?” Marcos teases before following his irate girlfriend. 

John groans, reaching to push his hair back from his face, pausing as he feels the glue. He glances up as Clarice hands him a wet towel, a smirk on her face. 

"I’m not sure how much it will help. I can blink you to the bathroom if you want, so you don’t track glitter through the building.” 

Frowning he nods, wincing as he stands, the sticky mess worsening as it shifts. 

Clarice steps back from the group. It takes three tries for her to create the portal, each failure frustrating him more as she burst into laughter. It would be amusing if she wasn’t laughing AT him because he definitely wasn’t laughing. 

When he finally makes it to the bathroom, he grips the counter, leaving cracks in the surface as he looks at his reflection. It’s worse than he thought. His jeans are soaked,  as is the lower half of his shirt. And he’s covered from head to toe in glitter. Bits of glue and glitter cling to his face and neck. 

It takes three long showers before the glue disappears.   
He avoids Clarice for most of a day, avoids Lorna for a whole day.   
It takes a week before he stops washing glitter from his hair.

**Author's Note:**

> If anyone has a better name, please don’t hesitate to let me know lol


End file.
